QoS requirements for an administratively created circuit are stored in an object called a UPC (Usage Parameter Contract). The administratively created circuits that can have associated UPCs are called SPVCs (Soft Permanent Virtual Circuits) or SPVPs (Soft Permanent Virtual Paths).
In an ATM network, requests for circuits can be rejected due to a lack of the network resources needed to meet that circuit's QoS (Quality of Service) requirements. In the normal case when such a circuit is not successfully established, the failure is usually communicated to the user and the network administrator in some fashion. One option at that point would be to relax the QoS requirements in a way that allows the circuit to be established within the framework of the existing resources. That option currently requires operator intervention. This invention is a method whereby through configuration options and software, the switch will attempt to create the rejected circuit by selectively relaxing the QoS requirements of the call automatically without the need for operator intervention.